Tongue-tingling interface lets you taste data

February 18, 2013

Gershon Dublon of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has devised the Tongueduino — a small pad containing electrodes in a 5 × 5 grid, New Scientist reports.

When hooked up to an electronic sensor, the pad converts signals from the sensor into small pulses of electric current across the grid, which the tongue “reads” as a pattern of tingles.

If Tongueduino (tongue + Arduino) is attached to a sensor that detects Earth’s magnetic field, users can learn to use their tongue as a compass.

Blair MacIntyre at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta says a wireless version of Tongueduino could prove useful in augmented reality applications that deliver information to users inconspicuously, without interfering with their vision or hearing.

Comments (4)

Besides applications in sensory disabilities, what most interests me is whether the novel stimuli will trigger more general production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and an increase in plasticity more than other simple available non-invasive interventions.

Developed further this could be used to model new recipes and their modifications. It could help food scientists develop or reformulate flavorings and consumer products that meet health and nutrition goals while offering satisfactory taste experience.